Machine for shaving sound record tablets



NOV. 28, 1933. c HUENUCH ET AL 1,937,275

MACHINE FOR SHAVING SOUND RECORD TABLETS Filed June 1, 1931 [NVEIVTORj By MA.

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 28, 1933 PATENT orrlce MACHINE FOR SHAVING SOUND RECORD TABLETS Charles Huenlich, Bloomfield, and Heinrich F..

Max Gramann, Orange, N. 3., assignors to ThomasA. Edison, Incorporated, West Orange, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 1, 1931. Serial No. 541,136 I 7 Claims. (o1. s2-1.1)

Our invention relates to machines for shaving off the surface portions of sound record tablets to provide properly prepared surfaces for receiving sound record grooves, and more particularly to an improved construction and arrangement in such a machine for locking the shaving knife or cutting member in operative position and also for releasing said knife or member and effecting the movement thereof to inoperative position and thereaftereffecting the'ejectment of the record tablet from the machine.

Phonographic sound record tablets are generally made from wax or wax-like material, and it is necessary in order properly to cut or engrave the sound record grooves therein that their surfaces be smooth and regular in contour. It is customary after dictated matter has been recorded on such a record tablet and said matter has been transcribed, to shave off the outer surface portion of the tablet so as toprepare the tablet for the reception of a new record.

, heretofore constructed. In the use of such a machine the operator sets and then locks the knife or cutting member in proper position to shave the record tablet. Upon the completion of the shaving operationthe knife should first be released and moved from its operative position and let to be shaved is mounted in the machine, so

as to bring the knife to a position in which it is adapted for engagement with a tablet so mounted. Consequently if a tablet is positioned in such a machine without previously releasing the knife,

this tablet is likely to be brought into contact with the knife,,which, of course, is still set to shave the tablet last removed. It often happens that, through carelessness, the operator of such a machine neglects to release the knife before placing a record tablet in shavingposition, with resulting damage to the record tablet, or to the cutting edge of the knife, or perhaps to both.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a shaving machine of improved construction andarrangement wherein the objections and disadvantages noted above, will be bri e Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the character described in the normal operation of which, afterthe shaving of a record tablet, the shaving knife is first released and moved from engagement with the tablet and such tablet is then ejected.

Still another object of' the invention is to provide in such a machinemechanism for ejecting a record tablet'which upon actuation thereof to eject a tablet, is adapted to release the cutting member or shaving knife was to effect movement of the latter from operative position, before ejecting movement of such tablet is effected.

Other and further objects and features of our invention will be obvious upon anunderstanding of the construction and arrangement hereinafter described and will-be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the 'art upon employment of the invention in practice.

In order that our invention may be more thoroughly understood, a preferred embodiment has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and is shown in the accompanying 80 drawing, wherein: y e V Figure 1 is an end elevation, partly broken away and partly in'section, of ashaving machine equipped with our invention;

Fig; 2 is a front elevationfof part of the machine shown in Figured; Y

Fig.3 is an invertedrear elevation of part of the machine; I I I Fig. 4 is a fragmental plan view of the machine; and e V Fig. 5 is a section taken Figure l. 3

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the usual tapered mandrel of the shaving machine and 2 a record tablet mounted on the mandrel in position to be shaved. The mandrel is journaled in the usual manner in standards provided on the base 3, one of such standards 4 being shown in cross sectionin Figure 1. The mandrel is adaptedto be rotated at high speed, in the direction indicated by the arrow A in'Figure 1, by suitable gearing driven by an electric motor (not shown). An arm or carriage 5 is rigidly secured on a collar or sleeve 6 by the screw 7, said sleeve being slidably mounted on the usual back rod 8 and also being tiltable or rotatable thereon within certain limits. The arm 5 has a projection 9 which is, adapted to engage the'lug 10 on base 3 to limit the turning movement of the arm and sleeve 6, in one direction, while the engagement of, the free forward end 11 of, arm 5 withthe on the line A--A usual straight edge 12, (upon which the said end 11 normally rests) will act to limit such turning movement of the arm and sleeve in the opposite direction. The back rod 8 is supported in bearings carried by spaced standards provided on the base 3, only one of these standards being shown at 13. The sleeve 6 is provided adjacent the arm 5 with an enlarged portion 14 to which one end of a resilient member 15 is secured as by screws 16. The other end of member 15 has rigidly attached thereto a feed nut 17 which is adapted to engage a feed screw 18 when the arm 5 is in normal lowered position with its forward end resting on straight edge 12. The feed screw is journaled in spaced standards provided on the base 3 (one of which standards is shown at 19 in Figure 1) so that it may be rotated in the usual manner to thereby, through the coaction thereof with feed nut 17, eifect movement of sleeve 6 along the back rod 8 and transverse feeding movement of arm 5 with respect to the mandrel 1 and record tablet 2.

The arm or carriage 5 is provided with a suitable mounting for the knife bar 21, preferably in the form of an integral extension 20 having a longitudinally extending opening 22 through which the knife bar extends. Mounted on the knife bar 21 at its inner end is a cutter or shaving knife 23, preferably formed of sapphire. The knife bar 21 is mounted in extension 20 for sliding movement toward and away from the mandrel 1 in a direction substantially radial thereto, so that the knife 23 may readily beadjusted to proper operative cutting position with respect to the record tablet 2. A rod 25 extends longitudinally through the extension 29 and parallel to knife bar 21, and also through a sleeve 26 which is secured at one end in the upper end portion of mounting 20 and projects outwardly and upwardly therefrom. The upper end portion of the bore of sleeve 26 is somewhat enlarged and receives and provides a seat for the lower end of a coiled spring 32 which embraces the rod 25. A collar 2'7 is adjustably mounted onthe knife bar 21, as by being threaded thereon, at a point slightly above the upper, end of the mounting 20.- This collar provides a seat for the lower end of a coiled spring 30 which embraces the upper or outer end portion of the knife bar. The upper ends of springs 30 and 32 engage the under surface of the top 28 of a hollow cap or casing member 28 which is firmly secured to the rod 25 by a cylindrical nut or button 31 threaded onto a reduced upper end portion of said rod extending through the top 28. The upper end portion of the knife bar 21 extends loosely through the top 28 of the cap 28, outward movement of said cap with respect to the knife bar being limited by the head of a screw 29 which is threaded into the outer end of said bar. The spring 30 provides a resilient connection between the member 28 and the knife bar 21, and it is apparent that upon depressing member 28 spring 32 will be compressed and the knife bar 21 will by the coaction of said member, spring 30 and collar 27, be moved radially inward to bring the knife 23 into operative position in engagement with the tablet 2. Normally spring 32 acts to maintain cap 28, rod 25 and knife bar 21 in raised inoperative position in which the knife 23 will not engage the record tablet 2. The skirt of member 28 is ofsuch a size and shape as to freely slide over the mounting 20 when said member is depressed, and to encase the outer portions of rod 25 and knife bar 21 which project from the mounting 20. A collar 34 is secured as by a setscrew to the knife bar at a point below the mounting 20 and serves to limit the outward movement of the knife bar 20, cap 28 and rod 25 under the action of spring 32.

In setting the knife to take a proper cut from a record to be shaved, pressure is applied to the button 31 to move the member 28, rod 25 and knife bar 21 inwardly against the action of spring 32. This movement brings the knife 23 into engagement with the record under the cushioning effect of the spring 30. To look the knife in this position we employ the construction about to be described.

The mounting 20 is provided with a cylindrical opening 36 extending transversely therethrough, the axis of saidopening preferably being at right angles to and passing through the axis of knife bar 21, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. Slidably disposed within the opening 36 is a cylindrical member 37 having a cylindrical opening38 through which the knife bar extends. Opening 38 is slightly larger in diameter than the knife bar so that when the two are concentrically positioned the knife bar may slide freely through said opening.

The lef -hand portion of member 37, beginning at a point slightly beyond the opening 38, is reduced and extends through a correspondingly reduced portion of opening; 36 and outwardly from the mounting 20 a considerable distance. Ii.

The outer end portion of member 37 has a cylindrical headed nut 39 threaded thereon, the head of the nut being adjacent a shoulder 40 formed on mounting 20. A lever 41 is provided at its lower end with two spaced flanges 42 and 42 by means of which it is pivotally mounted on nut 39. A split collar 43 is firmly clamped on nut 39 betweenthe flanges 42 and 42' of lever 41 by a screw 44 coacting with two opposed lateral extensions 45 and 46 with which the collar is pro- 1.

vided at the split therein. The collar 43 fits fairly snugly between the flanges 42 and 42 with its rear plane face normally engaging the inner face of lever 41. The top of collar 43 curves over and away from its rear face to the lateral extenturned in the direction indicated by arrow B,

Fig. 1, the collar 43 and the nut 39 will also be turned until a predetermined resistance is offered to such turning movement, after which the nut and collar will remain stationary even though the lever is turned still further in the same direction. l:

This arrangement comprises a resilient connection between lever 41 and collar 43 in the form of a fairly stiff coiled spring 47 the intermediate portion of which is disposed about the head of nut 39 and the ends of which respectively so engage the lever and extension 46 of the collar that if the lever is moved in the direction of arrow B in Figure 1, movement in the same direction will be transmitted through said spring to the collar and nut.

To securely lock the knife bar 21 after it has been operatively positioned, lever 41 is merely moved in the direction of the arrow B, which movement, as just described, effects the turning of nut 39 on the reduced threaded portion of member 37. In the turning of the nut thus effected the head thereof coacts with the shoulder on mounting 20 to move the member 37 longitudinally to the left in theopening 36 to a position in which opening 38 in said member is eccentric to knife bar 21, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5, and the wall of the opening 38 is forced against the knife bar so as to hold the latter in position, the spring 47 being ofsufficient strength to transmit the force necessary to thus effect the firm gripping of the knife bar by member 3'7. It is apparent that the. maximum pressure with which member 37 can be so engaged' with the knife is determinedby the strength of spring 47. In case additional turning movement is imparted to lever 41 in the direction of arrow B, after the knife bar has been securely gripped or locked as described, such further movement instead of being transmitted to the nut 39 with the'possible result of deforming thejknife bar or jamming member'37 thereagainst so hard that it would be difficult to automatically release the lever by the mechanism hereinafter described, merely winds up and tensions spring 47 until the lower end portion of the lever is brought into engagement with the limit stop 48.

Another feature of our invention resides in the provision of means to prevent accidental release of the knife bar locking mechanism when lever 4l.is moved into engagement with stop 48, as just described, and then suddenly released. If the lever, after being-so moved into engagement with the stop, is quickly released it will, unless prevented, be snapped back under the action of spring 47 so that the lower end thereof will forcibly strike the rear plane face of collar 43. The direct impact of such a blow on the collar would have a tendency to turn nut 39 back from its locking position to thereby effect the release of the knife bar 21 from its locking engagement with member 37. This is'obviously undesirable as the purpose of the mechanism just described is to hold the knife bar in fixed operative position. To prevent such accidental release of the knife bar a coiled spring 50 is disposed within a recess provided in collar 43, which spring in its normal state of tension is of such length that it extends a slight distance from said recess and beyond the rear face of the collar. Accordingly whenever lever 41 is moved into or substantially into engagement with stop 48 and quickly released, spring 56 will be engaged by the lever and cushion the impact of the blow thereof on collar 43 due to its being suddenly snapped back by spring 47, thereby eliminating any danger of the knife bar being accidentally released in the manner described.

After the completion of a shaving operation the carriage or arm 5 is in the position shown in Fig. 4 and no further transverse feeding movement thereof takes place as nut 1'? has ridden off the left-hand threaded end portion of screw 18.

The record 2 which is frictionally held on the mandrel 1, should then be ejected. This operation and also that of releasing the knife bar 21, are accomplished by mechanism about to be described.

A rod 52 is journaled in the straight edge 12 and the standard4 so that it extends across and slightly above the base 3, and the inner end 53 of this rod is offset by reason of a short right angular bend 54 in the rod. The offset or eccentric end 53 of rod 52 is disposed a slight distance below the back rod 8, and when the arm 5 is in the position shown in Fig. 4, as it is at the end of a shaving operation, the knife bar mounting 20 will be vertically above said offset end. Thecommon hub 55 of a record ejecting arm or member '56 and of an operating arm or lever 57, is mounted on and firmly secured to the rod 52 between the straight edge 12 and the standard 4. The ejecting arm or member 56 extends from hub 55 in such a direction that its record engaging shoe 56' will be positioned slightly to the left of the adjacent end of a record 2 on mandrel 1 when the arm 57 is in the position shown in Fig. 2 in which it bears against base 3, and said arms are nor-. mally maintained in such positions by the spring 58.

A bell crank lever 59 is pivotally mounted on a projection 60 of the arm 5 by a screw 61. The upper arm 62 of the bell crank extends beneath and slightly beyond the extension 46 of collar 43, while the lower arm 63 thereof extends downwardly from pivot 61 so that its end is substantially in alignment with the offset end 53 of rod 52. A horizontal branch 64 is provided at the end of the lever arm 63 and extends therefrom so as to overlap the ofiset end 53 of rod 52, the free end of the said branch being slightly en-- larged or widened so as to afford a contact surface which said end 53 will not override when the rod is turned. The relative positioning of rod 52 and bell crank 59 is such that when the armor carriage 5 is at the limit of its transverse feeding movement, as shown in Fig. 4, the enlarged end of the branch 64 of lever arm 63 is adapted to be engaged by the offset end 53 of said rod. If

lever 57 is then moved inthe direction of the arrow C in Fig. '2, rod 52 will be turned and its offset end 53 will engage the enlarged end porment of bell crank arm 63 in the direction of the arrow D and of bell crank arm 62 in the direction of the arrow E. The said arm 62 will'thereupon engage extension 46'of collar 43 and turn the latter and nut 39 in a direction to effect the release of knife bar 21 from itsengagement with member 37. The knife bar will then be moved away from the record under the action of spring 32, and at the sametime lever 41 will be moved back against the stop 48 byspring 47.

The distance which lever 5'7 may be turned in the direction of the arrow C in Fig. 2, is limited by the engagement of the lug 66 thereof with a stop 6'? provided on the base 3 "of the machine, so that rod 52 cannot be turned sufficiently to cause its offset end 53 to override the enlarged end portion of the branch 64, nor can lever 59 be turned sufficientlyto cause the rounded end of its arm ,tion'of the branch 64 and thereby effect move- 62 to override the end of the extension 46 of' collar 43.

The movement of lever 57 just described will 7 also effect movement of the shoe 56 of the ejecting arm against the end of the record 2 so as to move the latter longitudinally of and release it from frictional engagement -with the tapered mandrel 1. Thereupon the record can be easily slipped off the mandrel with one hand. The

mandrel by the ejecting. member. Our invention eliminates all possibility of injury to a record when being removed from the machine thru failure of the operator to release the knife and also of injury to a record when being positioned in the machine, for the knife will at all times be maintained in inoperative position except when it is especially set to shave a record, and the record when shaved cannot conveniently be removed from the machine without first effecting the release of the knife and the removal thereof from its set position.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of parts in the preferred embodiment herein specifically described, without departing from the spirit of our invention it is to be understood that all matter contained herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and no: in a limiting sense.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a rotatable record support, a cutting member, and means adapted to eifect the locking of said cutting member in operative position relatively to a record on said support, said means comprising a movable member, an actuating lever for the movable member and a yieldable conneciion between the movable member and lever which upon movement of the lever to actuate the movable member and upon encountering a predetermined resistance to further actuation of the latter, provides for movement of the lever independently of the movable member. 2. In apparatus of the class described, the com- I bination of a rotatable record support, a cutting member adapted to be engaged with a record on said support, movable mounting means for said cutting member, a member adapted to engage and hold said mounting means in fixed position, an element associated with said member and adapted to eiiect movement thereof to holding position, a movable actuating device resiliently connecied with said element, and means arranged to cushion the impact of any sudden blow of said device on said element and thereby prevent the unintentional release of said holding member.

3. In a machine of the class described, a cutter, a slidable holder for said cutter whereby the latter may be operatively positioned with respect to a record mounted in the machine, means adapted to be engaged with said holder for looking said cutter in such position, a member operable to move said means to operative position, and

a connection between said member and locking means comprising a resilient member whereby the pressure with which said means engages said holder when in operative position may be limited.

i. In a machine of the class described, the com bination of a cutter, a movable holder for said cutter whereby the latter may be operatively positioned with respect to a record in the machine, means adapted to cooperate with said holder -whereby said cutter may be held in such position, a member cooperating with said holding means, an operating element, and a flexible resilient connection between said element and member whereby pressure exerted on said element may be transmitted to said member to render the said holding means operative and the maximum pressure exerted on the holding means can be predetermined, regardless of the pressure exerted on said element.

5. In a machine of the class described the combination of a cutter adapted to engage a record tablet in the machine, a slidably mounted holder for said cutter, means for locking said holder in its'mounting comprising a movable member adapted to grip the holder, an element adapted to cooperate wi h said member to effect the moverent of the latter to and from gripping position with respect to said holder, an operating arm having a resilient connection with said element, and cushioning means arranged to yieldingly oppose movement of said arm by or under the action of said resilient connection.

6. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a rotatable support adapted to hold a record, a cutter movable to operative position with respect to a record held on said support, means adapted to lock said cutter in such position, a member actuatable to engage and release the record from said support, an element adapted to be moved to so actuate said member, and means comprising a pivoted member adapted to be actuated when said element is so moved for effecting the release of said locking means.

7. In a machine of the class described, a movably mounted knife bar and means for eifecting the holding of said bar in fixed position with respect to its mounting comprising a movable looking member, an'element operable to effect movement of said member to locking position and a resilient connection between said element and member whereby the pressure which may be exerted on such member upon actuation of said element is limited.

CHARLES I-IUENLICI-I. HEINRICH F. MAX GRAMANN. 

